Mai Tai Punch

Scaling a Mai Tai for a crowd

A single-serving Mai Tai is a delicate, spirit-forward drink; the punch version is what you make when fifteen people are coming and nobody wants to shake to order. The trade-off is real, and it is worth understanding before you measure anything.

The ratio, in cups

One cup of white rum, half a cup of dark rum, a quarter cup each of orgeat and orange curaçao, half a cup of fresh lime juice and one cup of pineapple juice. That is roughly eighteen servings of four ounces, and the proportions echo the original: the orgeat and curaçao are the sweeteners, the lime is the only acid, and the pineapple is the addition that turns a scaled cocktail into a punch.

Why the soda stays out of the pitcher

Top each glass with an ounce or two of club soda as you pour rather than stirring it into the bowl. Carbonation lifts the almond syrup, which is heavy and settles at the bottom of a pitcher. Adding the soda early, or pouring the punch over crushed ice and letting it stand, leaves you with something flat and watery.

Making it ahead

Mix everything except the soda and the mint up to six hours ahead and refrigerate. Before serving, stir in a cup of cold water, because a bowl never gets the dilution a shaker gives, and float a single block of ice rather than cubes. Mint goes in last: leaves left in liquid for hours turn black and bitter.

Strength

Punch served over ice lands around 12% ABV, so guests can have two or three without losing the evening.

Mistakes that ruin a bowl

• Using bottled lime juice to save time; it is the flavour the punch is built on.
• Sweetening with grenadine or extra orgeat because the mix tastes sour while warm.
• Leaving the mint in the bowl for the whole party.

Variations

A Tiki Punch adds two cups of passion fruit juice and a split vanilla bean. A non-alcoholic Mai Tai Punch replaces both rums with cold jasmine tea and doubles the orgeat.

Can I use a single rum?

Yes, but choose an aged amber rum. A light rum alone makes a thin punch, because the dark rum is what gives it depth.

How much ice should I use?

One large block for the bowl and fresh cubes in each glass. Cubes in the bowl melt within twenty minutes and dilute the batch.